Mayor of Limerick revives centuries-old tradition on River Shannon

MAYOR of Limerick John Moran revived an ancient tradition outside City Hall this Friday.

The first citizen dropped a dart into the River Shannon.

It symbolises his authority as the Admiral of the Shannon in a tradition which dates back to 1765.

Mayor Moran set sail from the jetty at the rear of the Hunt Museum.

BREAKING: New leader of Limerick's metropolitan district formally elected

The boat went under Sarsfield Bridge and half way down the river before it turning back.

The dropping of the arrow then took place at 11:30am near the Marina, with Limerick City Hall, the courthouse and King John's Castle in the background.

The title of Admiral of the Shannon bestows the mayor the power to act as judge over all maritime offences committed on the River Shannon from the city right down to the mouth of the estuary.

#LimerickMayor @moranjohna1 has this morning revived a centuries old tradition.

As Limerick's first citizen, he is Admiral of the River Shannon and to mark this he has dropped an arrow on the water.

Huge thanks to John Hickey for getting me so close to the action pic.twitter.com/MNC8IhlvCs

— Nick Rabbitts (@Nick468official) June 28, 2024

According to tradition, poaching is one of the main maritime offences the mayor has control over.

The silver dart is designed to scare away Neptune, the God of the Sea, and to protect Limerick from storms.

In recent the years, the number of first citizens who have exercised their role is low - In 2005, Diarmuid Scully dropped an arrow on the water while two years later, during Riverfest, the then mayor, Cllr Joe Leddin did likewise.